Working Mom/Stay at Home Mom?

Question

I need some good advice please! My baby girl is due in February, and I have been working part-time during the pregnancy. Originally I was planning on going back to work full-time around six months after the baby is born but I'm now not so sure...friends have told me different things, should I give up work completely??? People who are/have been in a similar situation what are your plans/did you do???

Answer 1

if i could stay home i would, My daughter is 4 months old and since the day she was born I worry about having to leave her with strangers, they just dont have her best interest at heart like i do. Although, I would go back to work and leave her with my mother if I lived close to her.

I would give anything to be able to stay home with her, we live in Toronto and it is very expensive. She was a pleasant surprise.

If I were you and I had the option, I would stay at home!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

When I decided to have a baby, I felt like giving up work was the only option. However, when things started to calm down, about 6 months after he was born, I felt helpless and like I was not contributing. I wanted to work but also be with my new son. I was able to balance the two (and still doing so). I now work from home part-time and love it. While my son sleeps, I work. It does take some time getting used to but I think it's the best option in my case. Working full-time away from home may be too rough. I think if you have the resources, try and stay home.
The most important point is that what ever you end up doing, don't get too stressed out and make sure to try and make time for yourself. Having a new baby does tend to wear you down.

Answer 4

I decided to go back to work. It was a very, very difficult decision and you WILL experience what is known as "mommy guilt". At first, I too, thought I would spend six months with the baby, but I then realized that we could not realistically survive on a single income and there wasn't a job prospect in sight. I really didn't want to severely struggle. I want my daughter to have as much as I had when i was young and more, but like another poster said, it is a tradeoff. The provider sees her more than I do, and it makes me sad. But my mom worked, so I have a great role model in her. I'm just as happy and content as if she had stayed home. At the same time, you may find yourself craving adult interaction, so you might want to rejoin the workforce just for that. It will be hard, and demanding, but it can work. You can breastfeed too, if you want. Many women today don't have the choice unfortunately of being SAHM on a long term basis, so you are not alone. Just remember to cherish every moment that you are with your child, regardless of it is a few hours or all day.

Answer 5

I wouldn't make the decision now, I'd make it after you've been at home with your baby for a couple months. The right decision isn't the same for everybody. But I will tell you what I did. My son is 2 1/2 years old (with a second on the way) and I haven't worked a day outside the home since going on maternity leave 2 weeks before he was born. I LOVE IT! But a lot of why I feel it's important to me is because he has a lot of health issues, and when he's sick, just thinking about what I'd do if I couldn't be the one to cuddle with him and make him feel better makes me want to cry. It breaks my heart to think of someone else experiencing all his firsts; instead, I get to see and hear him do new things every day, and get excited with him when he accomplishes something new. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I know a lot of working moms who wouldn't be happy staying at home. So wait a couple months and see how you feel about the situation. It's a personal decision for everyone, just don't let anyone make you feel bad about the decision once you've made it.

Answer 6

Before I had my son, I worked full time and loved it. I planned to return to work after 4 weeks. Well, 6 weeks came and went and I still did not return. No one can tell you how you are going to feel until you give birth.

So, I quit my high paying Corporate job and became a stay at home (single) mom to him for his first year. i was able to work a little part time and even go to school, but it was a flexible schedule which helped.

Now he is 18 months old and I have been working fulltime since he turned 1 year old. I felt that it was time to work fulltime again and that he was much better prepared (and me too) for a childcare setting.

It is a very personal decision and no one- NO ONE- can make that decision but you. If you are financially able to stay home with your child when they are born for at least the 1st year, it is a true blessing. You will know when it is time to return to work, if ever.

It is possible to still raise a happy, healthy, and well-balanced child if you do have to go back to work fulltime. I find that my time with my son now is more quality, than quantity. I find that I feel much more satisfaction as not only a corporate employee, but as a mom too, since I know that I am able to balance them both well now. Plus, sometimes it is good to have that release of being able to go to a job and have other adults to communicate with. You really need that too. You will see that the time with your daughter will become even more precious to you when your time is a bit more limited with her.

Anyway, best of luck. I am sure you will know what is right for you.

Answer 7

If you can afford to stay at home, and this is what you want to do, then by all means, go ahead. If not, it will do you some good to go back to work after your baby is born, but you can just keep working part time, or you can go to full time. But you still have some time to think about what you want to do.

Answer 8

well I worked my whole pregnancy full time until 2 wks before delivery and it was hard I had planned on going back after my six weeks of maternity leave but then my husband and I decided that it would be for the best if I stay home with her and save the money we would be paying a daycare b/c I also have a 5 yr old who is in pre-k so our choice was for me to stay home instead of work........ when u have ur baby the answer will be clear when u look into ur newborns eyes .......instant love that u will not want to leave with a sitter.

Answer 9

With my first child I went right back to working full time and I refretted doing it. I felt that I missed out on so much. So with both of my other kids I have been a stay at home mom and I love it. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. Eventually when the youngest is in school I will return to working outside the house full time. It's really just up to you and what you think is most important.

Answer 10

It is a very personal decision. I gave up work when my first was born and did not return until my second was about 21mths. I did not return to fulltime, only part time. This means I had about 4 years out of the workforce. I loved being home with my children. It means I got to hear their first words and see them take their first steps instead of hearing about it from their childcare assistant. I beleive it is so important to be home with them when they are babies and if you can afford to be home then you should.
There is a downside though. I did not have a job during highschool so did not enter the work force until I graduated at 17, I then had my first child at 21. This means that by the time I returned to work I had had as many years out of the workforce as in it. I was the first of my friends to have children so at times I did find being at home lonely. By the time my second got to 20months I was dying to get out of the house and that is why I returned to work, However, all that time out of work really shattered my confidence. I even doubted my ability to carry an intelligent conversation with an adult. I remember scheduling job interviews and then cancelling them at the last minute because I was to scared to go through with them. Like I said before, if I had my time again I would still choose to stay at home for those first couple of years, but I wish I had have done more to keep myself intouch with the outside world during that time because I really did loose all sense of myself. What ever choice you make I am sure it will be the right one for you and your child. Good luck!